The aim of this paper is to invalidate the hypothesis that human consciousness is necessary in the quantum measurement process. In order to achieve this target, I propose a considerable modification of the Schrödinger’s cat and the Dead-Alive Physicist thought experiments, called “PIAR”, short for “Physicist Inside the Ambiguous Room”. A specific strategy has enabled me to plan the experiment...
Clinical medicineMay 4, 2021M. Tanti, J. Cosgrove, Charles Kelleher et al.
BACKGROUND Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are a growing public health concern. We aimed to identify the acute neurological consequences of NPS. METHOD We performed a retrospective case-note review of patients who presented to the emergency department after taking NPS. RESULTS We identified 237 admissions from 190 patients, mostly young men. There were high rates of psychiatric comorbidity...
Set and setting is a fundamental concept in the field of psychedelic drug research, which points to the profound dependence of psychedelic effects on psychological, social, and cultural factors. Santo Daime is a Brazilian religion that makes elaborate use of ordering principles, techniques, and symbology to shape and direct the effects of the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca. This paper...
Abstract Introduction The presence of hypnopompic hallucinations raises concerns for narcolepsy. However, sleep-related hallucinations may occur in other settings. Dreams at sleep-wake transitions may be difficult for patients to differentiate from sleep-related hallucinations. Sleep-related hallucinations are predominantly visual, although they can be auditory, tactile and/or kinetic. However,...
Relationship between depression and magnesium levels is reported. This observational study examined whether serum magnesium concentration change over time of ketamine treatment course, also whether association between magnesium concentrations and treatment response measured with Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score occurs. Moreover, interlink between changes in Young Mania...
Cutting-edge recommendation algorithms have been widely used by media platforms to suggest users with personalized content. While such user-specific recommendations may satisfy users' needs to obtain intended information, some users may develop a problematic use pattern manifested by addiction-like undesired behaviors. Using a popular video sharing and recommending platform (TikTok) as an...
Previous preclinical studies have demonstrated that 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) dose‐dependently increases pro‐social behavior and affiliative vocalizations in male nonhuman primates. As diagnostic criteria for several psychiatric diseases includes deficits in social functioning, examining the conditions under which MDMA selectively increases pro‐social behavior may provide...
The FASEB JournalMay 1, 2021Chris Bolden, Cameron Tilley, Charles E Hay et al.
3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is currently one of the most popular club psychostimulant and hallucinogens. MDMA's primary site of action is in the brain where it produces a “euphoric” feeling, this euphoria comes with a multitude of acute toxicities. In the periphery, MDMA acts as an immunosuppressive agent in the periphery decreasing the robust activity of the adaptive and innate...
A single subanesthetic dose of ketamine exerts rapid antidepressant‐like effects via rapid glutamate efflux, activation of mTORC1 signaling, and enhanced synaptic transmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC); however, the initial cellular trigger for these synaptic and behavioral actions of ketamine still remains unclear. Here, we used electrophysiology, biochemistry, molecular biology...
The study of unconscious processing requires a measure of conscious awareness. Awareness measures can be either subjective (based on participant's report) or objective (based on perceptual performance). The preferred awareness measure depends on the theoretical position about consciousness and may influence conclusions about the extent of unconscious processing and about the neural correlates...